Thesis Statement:
In his autobiography, Frederick Douglass utilizes objective and subjective writing styles in order to protest slavery.
Frederick Douglass' Writing Style:
Frederick Douglass’ writing style tells a lot about who he is and what he believes in. In "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass", he strongly opposes slavery, but still manages to keep a calm tone. He uses formal, elevated diction and elaborate details. The style can most vividly be seen through his objective and subjective statements.
Objective Writing:
Objective writing is characterized by using facts and not opinions. In his autobiography, Douglass sometimes lacks emotion, even during brutal events. In the very beginning of the narrative, he writes, "Mr. Covey gave me a very severe whipping, cutting my back, causing the blood to run, and raising ridges on my flesh as large as my little finger." He then lists more details of the event, but doesn’t state any negative feelings toward Mr. Covey. After explaining to Mr. Covey how he broke the gate, Douglass writes, "...he tore off my clothes, and lashed me till he had worn out his switches, cutting me so savagely as to leave the marks visible for a long time after." Even after this harsh beating, Douglass doesn’t show anger or self-pity. A more subjective writer would have used phrases such as "Why does he have the right to beat me?" and "I hope he dies a painful death."
Subjective Writing:
Subjective writing is the opposite of objective writing because it reflects the writer’s emotions. By using this type of writing, Frederick Douglass more clearly illustrates his views about freedom and slavery. When he writes, "I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery," he is explaining how harsh it was to live as a slave with Covey. Douglass had been a slave all his life and never went through as much turmoil as he did while working for Covey. Douglass shares his personal feelings when he writes, "I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished...". This statement discusses how Douglass was mentally distraught by the excessive work assigned. Douglass was a hard worker, but never lived up to the ruthless expectations of Mr. Covey. The more emotion that Douglass shares, the more that the reader can infer. By discussing his inability to live up to Covey’s expectations, it can be assumed that he was feeling unconfident, unsuccessful, and even unintelligent.
Purpose for Writing:
Frederick Douglass wrote his autobiography not only to inform people about the realities of slavery but to protest it's existence. He felt that if people heard him saying it was wrong with such strong support then they would say it to. Freedom is being able to feel accomplished, accommodated and happy and slavery oppressed all hopes and dreams of those freedoms. After he used resistance against Mr. Covey he wrote, "It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It recalled the departed self-confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free." His autobiography was one of the ways to persuade the population that the freedom of the slaves was important and worth fighting for.
In his autobiography, Frederick Douglass utilizes objective and subjective writing styles in order to protest slavery.
Frederick Douglass' Writing Style:
Frederick Douglass’ writing style tells a lot about who he is and what he believes in. In "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass", he strongly opposes slavery, but still manages to keep a calm tone. He uses formal, elevated diction and elaborate details. The style can most vividly be seen through his objective and subjective statements.
Objective Writing:
Objective writing is characterized by using facts and not opinions. In his autobiography, Douglass sometimes lacks emotion, even during brutal events. In the very beginning of the narrative, he writes, "Mr. Covey gave me a very severe whipping, cutting my back, causing the blood to run, and raising ridges on my flesh as large as my little finger." He then lists more details of the event, but doesn’t state any negative feelings toward Mr. Covey. After explaining to Mr. Covey how he broke the gate, Douglass writes, "...he tore off my clothes, and lashed me till he had worn out his switches, cutting me so savagely as to leave the marks visible for a long time after." Even after this harsh beating, Douglass doesn’t show anger or self-pity. A more subjective writer would have used phrases such as "Why does he have the right to beat me?" and "I hope he dies a painful death."
Subjective Writing:
Subjective writing is the opposite of objective writing because it reflects the writer’s emotions. By using this type of writing, Frederick Douglass more clearly illustrates his views about freedom and slavery. When he writes, "I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery," he is explaining how harsh it was to live as a slave with Covey. Douglass had been a slave all his life and never went through as much turmoil as he did while working for Covey. Douglass shares his personal feelings when he writes, "I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished...". This statement discusses how Douglass was mentally distraught by the excessive work assigned. Douglass was a hard worker, but never lived up to the ruthless expectations of Mr. Covey. The more emotion that Douglass shares, the more that the reader can infer. By discussing his inability to live up to Covey’s expectations, it can be assumed that he was feeling unconfident, unsuccessful, and even unintelligent.
Purpose for Writing:
Frederick Douglass wrote his autobiography not only to inform people about the realities of slavery but to protest it's existence. He felt that if people heard him saying it was wrong with such strong support then they would say it to. Freedom is being able to feel accomplished, accommodated and happy and slavery oppressed all hopes and dreams of those freedoms. After he used resistance against Mr. Covey he wrote, "It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It recalled the departed self-confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free." His autobiography was one of the ways to persuade the population that the freedom of the slaves was important and worth fighting for.